As the blood-red moon ascended into the sky, Hel suddenly felt a surge of clarity. This world—completely formed of death energy—contained only one element: death itself. Anyone who entered this realm would find themselves heavily restricted, as though caught in an anti-magic zone. The only exception—was the necromancer class.
Aside from that, Hel could freely modify this world using all her abilities: magic, alchemy, and more. As its creator and ruler, her control here was nearly absolute—though she still had to respect the natural laws of magic.
For example, the Blood Moon hanging in the sky could serve as a top-tier death spell:
[Supreme Death Magic: Crimson Resurrection] All living creatures bathed in the moonlight would slowly transform into undead, losing their minds and emotions, consumed by hatred for the living—until they became true walking corpses.
The crimson lake covering the ground could become another ultimate death spell:
[Supreme Death Magic: Stygian Crossing] Any living being who stepped into the waters would have their life force continuously drained. Undead who entered the Styx-like water, however, would be corrupted—their vitality eroded, their souls stripped away, eventually turning into nourishment that strengthened and expanded the realm itself.
As for those countless towering crosses with skeletal remains, and the ancient dragon skeleton beneath Hel's throne—those were merely decorations. She didn't actually possess such corpses, after all. Without real remains, she couldn't create them out of thin air. Only by acquiring powerful bodies in the future could she truly fill this world with life—or rather, undeath. For now, they were just for show—albeit intimidating ones.
"The mental world really is a huge boon for Saint-tier beings…Just the fact that I can maintain top-tier spells permanently within it—and suppress other elemental energies—is an incredible advantage."
But that was only true when facing sub-Saint transcendents.
"Then what about when two Saints fight? If both unfold their mental worlds… what happens?"
Hel pondered aloud. Would the stronger one devour the weaker's world? Would the two realms merge, their laws clashing until neither could prevail? Or would they collide and annihilate each other, until one world completely destroyed the other?
As a newcomer who had only just acquired her first domain, Hel had no idea.
"Sigh, maybe I should find another Saint to test it out on later. But first… let's get Morrigan to Saint-tier."
Stretching lazily, Hel recalled her avatar back to her side.
Once she returned to the underground shelter, she began her preparations.
Morrigan's soul strength had originally been a forced fusion—barely reaching Tier 6 through sheer energy stacking. It was crude, unstable, and inefficient. But for a clone, it didn't matter—its job was to act as a mental battery, nothing more.
As for her body, physical reinforcement wasn't a priority. What needed attention was her elemental core.
"I'm not short on death crystals anyway. The harvest from the Demon Ranch over the last four months is more than enoughto give Morrigan a seventh-tier elemental core."
She glanced at Morrigan's old core—a nearly perfect Tier 6 crystal, one step short of Saint-tier. But that last step was something no artificial being could cross.
"Better that I absorb it myself. With this, my own death energy should reach Saint-tier."
Hel placed the crystal aside thoughtfully.
"But first, I need to finish digesting that holy-element crystal."
She frowned, sensing the sacred energy within her. Her Holy Battle Aura had already reached Tier 4, though as she expected, the progress had slowed considerably after breaking through. Even so, it was still faster than her death energy cultivation had been.
It had taken her nine months to push her death energy to Tier 6. At this rate, her holy energy might reach the same level in only six months.
Just then, Niv picked up the crystal Hel had set on the table and waved it teasingly.
"Master, why not just put this one into your body too?"
"I can't," Hel replied flatly. "I've only got one stomach. If I shove another crystal in there, the two will conflict."
"But, Master…" Niv said slyly, eyes glinting, "you do have other places you could put it."
"You mean my kidneys? I'm not getting crystal stones down there, thank you very much."
Hel suddenly felt a sense of foreboding. She quickly changed the subject:
"Anyway, I heard the Hurricane Witch is escorting a group of captured witches. What if I… attacked them? Would that draw Pestis away?"
Niv tapped her chin thoughtfully.
"It might. But remember—the Hurricane Witch is a veteran Saint-tier. When she guarded the Watchwall, her few strikes were devastating. Even if you want Morrigan to die… that's not a wise way to do it."
"Ugh, fair point."
Hel sighed. She had gotten a bit too confident after gaining a Saint-tier avatar.
"If we can't fight head-on, then we'll have to play this smart."
She rubbed her chin again, deep in thought.
"Maybe… we can bring in an outside force."
"You mean—the Holy Tribunal Church?"
Niv immediately understood what Hel was implying. But according to her intelligence, the Church was struggling just to defend the Watchwall. There was no way they could launch an offensive across the Bloodstained Plains into the Aira Court.
"But, Master, unless there's enough bait, they won't risk it."
"True," Hel smiled faintly.
"But what if I give them a reason they can't ignore?"
Niv hesitated for a moment, then said uncertainly:
"You're not planning to expose that incident—the witches taken by the Supreme Church, are you? That alone won't be enough. Those were all newly awakened witches, not that valuable."
"Exactly," Hel said with a sly grin.
"Which is why I'll use something much bigger—something they can't refuse."
Her tone made it clear she already had a plan.
As she turned to leave, Niv called out again:
"Master, wait—you forgot something. The elemental crystal. You still haven't put it inside your body."
"Put it? Where?" Hel stammered.
Niv didn't reply. She simply stared meaningfully at Hel's lower abdomen—smiling wordlessly.